King Lear

King Lear: A Study Commentary - Contents and Sample Section

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CONTENTS

Act One Scene One	Commentary	1
	Overview	19
	Student Response	21

Act One Scene Two	Commentary	23
	Overview	32
	Student Response	33

Act One Scene Three	Commentary	35
	Overview	36
	Student Response	37

Act One Scene Four	Commentary	38
	Overview	47
	Student Response	48

Act One Scene Five	Commentary	50
	Overview	52
	Student Response	52
	Commentary Practice – General	53
	Practice Commentary 1	54
	Model Commentary	54
	Commentary – Further Suggestions	57
	Additional Essay Questions (A Level)	58
	Additional Essay Question (AP)	58

Act Two Scene One	Commentary	61
	Overview	64
	Student Response	64

Act Two Scene Two	Commentary	65
	Overview	70
	Student Response	70

Act Two Scene Three	Commentary	72
	Overview	72
	Student Response	73

Act Two Scene Four	Commentary	74
	Overview	82
	Student Response	83
	Practice Commentary 2	85
	Additional Essay Questions (A Level)	89
	Additional Essay Question (AP)	89

Act Three Scene One	Commentary	90
	Overview	92
	Student Response	92

Act Three Scene Two	Commentary	94
	Overview	99
	Student Response	99

Act Three Scene Three	Commentary	101
	Overview	102
	Student Response	102

Act Three Scene Four	Commentary	103
	Overview	112
	Student Response	112

Act Three Scene Five	Commentary	114
	Overview	115
	Student Response	115

Act Three Scene Six	Commentary	116
	Overview	120
	Student Response	121

Act Three Scene Seven	Commentary	122
	Practice Commentary 3	123
	Overview	126
	Student Response	127
	Additional Essay Questions (A Level)	127
	Additional Essay Question (AP)	128

Act Four Scene One	Commentary	129
	Overview	134
	Student Response	134

Act Four Scene Two	Commentary	137
	Overview	138
	Student Response	139

Act Four Scene Three	Commentary	140
	Overview	141
	Student Response	142

Act Four Scene Four	Commentary	143
	Overview	143
	Student Response	143

Act Four Scene Five	Commentary	145
	Overview	146
	Student Response	146

Act Four Scene Six	Commentary	148
	Overview	161
	Student Response	161

Act Four Scene Seven	Commentary	164
	Overview	170
	Student Response	170
	Practice Commentary 4	172
	Additional Essay Questions (A Level)	175
	Additional Essay Question (AP)	175

Act Five Scene One	Commentary	176
	Overview	176
	Student Response	177

Act Five Scene Two	Commentary	178
	Overview	179
	Student Response	180

Act Five Scene Three	Commentary	181
	Overview	194
	Student Response	194
	Practice Commentary 5	197
	Additional Essay Questions (A Level)	199
	Additional Essay Question (AP)	199

Further Essay Questions (International Baccalaureate)		200
Further Essay Questions (A Level)		201
Advanced Placement Free-Response Questions		202

Act Two Scene One

Commentary

The two stories, Lear’s and Gloucester’s, move closer together in this scene. We learn immediately that Regan and Cornwall are about

to arrive at Gloucester’s castle (not very far from their own). We also learn that Edmund did not know they were coming; and that he

does not know, either, about the impending conflict between Cornwall and Albany. He is presented to us here, then, as a man for the

moment on the edge of things, but alert to emerging possibilities – possibilities that may help him to move towards the centre: ‘The

Duke here tonight? The better best’ (‘The news couldn’t be better’). He must act quickly (with ‘briefness’), but also carefully – he has

something tricky (‘of a queasy question’) to do.

25-29

He is an opportunist. He uses the imminent arrival of Cornwall to do what?

o Frighten Edgar, by suggesting that he may be thought to have spoken out against Cornwall.

o Confuse him, too, since ‘said /Upon his party ’gainst the Duke of Albany’ is another ambiguity. It can mean either spoken on Cornwall’s behalf (‘party’ – part) against Albany or spoken critically about Cornwall’s ‘party against’ (conflict with) Albany.

We defined irony on page 4 as ‘a statement made by a character in a play which is shown by later events to have greater significance

than perhaps he, or the audience, or both, realised at the time.’

‘In cunning I must draw my sword upon you’ doesn’t fit very well, though, does it? Why not?

Both Edmund and we the audience know what Edmund’s ‘in cunning’ means; only Edgar does not. He thinks it means ‘cunningly so that I deceive our father and help you.’

We needn’t redefine the term – our ‘perhaps’ allows room for this example. The audience’s (and Edmund’s) awareness of the irony is

current: we know now what he is up to and therefore, in full, what he is saying. So his words will not take on extra meaning in the

light of later events; but they will take on extra weight when we see how awful the results of his cunning are.

It is night, as we have said. Edmund calls for light at the very moment he is working to send his father into the darkness of mis-

understanding. The torches Gloucester brings in with him will not help him.

That’s all fairly obvious symbolism; but it should remind us to look out for other symbols in the play. Have there been any others so

far?

The coronet which Lear divides in two, perhaps.

Here’s an essay question to which we can attach any further examples we may find:

‘In a play the physical objects we see on stage, the actions of the characters, and the words and images they use when